GG50's design tricks the eye

Car appears to be shorter than it is

To shorten the GG50, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro reduced the front overhang of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti by 0.8 inches and the rear overhang by 2.8 inches.

He also used a visual trick.

"From a bird's-eye view, all cars look like a rectangle," Giugiaro said. "As a consequence, the dimensions are perceived optically as being the same as the maximum length."

In the GG50, Giugiaro rounded the loop between the cowl and the front wheel arches to an extreme and applied the same treatment to the rear.

"In a three-quarter view, this visual trick makes the car appear much shorter than it really is," he said. "Rather than having a fender lip that clearly defines the body side edge, a seamless line flows toward the center point."

Giugiaro, a perfectionist who believes form must follow function, asked his engineers to design a fuel tank contained below the floor of the trunk.

One way the GG50 differs from the the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, right, is in the front view. Projector-beam front lights help update the GG50's look.

To create access to this cargo area, Giugiaro decided to use a hatchback lid that is nearly imperceptible at first sight. The GG50 seems to have a classic trunk lid hinged under the rear window. But the rear window lifts up along with the trunk lid.

Another practical innovation of the GG50 is the sloping rear window.

"Getting in and out of a 2+2 coupe rear seat is never an easy feat because access is directly proportional to the door's length, which cannot be stretched to the infinite," Giugiaro said.

He kept the 612 Scaglietti's door frame, but the sloping rear window greatly enhances head room, making it easier to get in and out of the car.

"It looks like just a minor detail," Giugiaro said. "Only by getting in and out of the car you can really see how easy this has become."